In enterprises and other organizations that employ large numbers of computing systems, the computing systems may be remotely managed to improve productivity. Each computing system—i.e., each computing device—may include a system management controller, which can also be referred to as a baseboard management controller or an integrated management module. The system management controllers typically communicate with a management console, which may be a separate computing system or device that is used by a network administrator.
The network administrator may thus receive status information regarding the computing systems from the system management controllers via the management console, and in turn control the systems by issuing commands at the management console which are then communicated to the system management controllers. Types of information that can be received from the system management controllers include temperature, cooling fan speed, power mode, operating system status, and so on. Types of commands that can be issued at the management console for communication to the system management controllers include system power cycling, and system reset.
To conserve power, the management console may automatically, or as manually instructed by the network administrator, issue a command to a system management controller for its corresponding computing system to enter a reduced power state. In turn, the system management controller causes the computing system to enter the reduced power state in question. For instance, the system management controller may communicate the command to the operating system running on the computing system, which then causes the computing system to enter the reduced power state. Alternatively, the command may be issued at the management console, and sent directly to the operating system, without passing through the system management controller.